According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,101, ".alpha.-aminomethyl-5-hydroxy-2-pyridinemethanols . . . have direct bronchodilator action with minimal cardiac stimulation," i.e., they have "greater activity on respiratory smooth muscle than on cardiac muscle."
Surprisingly, isomeric des-hydroxy analogs thereof, lacking the methanolic function, exhibit mainly cardioprotective effects with negligible bronchodilator action.